James Madison vs. Duke: NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks (Sunday)
Three more trips to Dallas and the South Regional are on the line Sunday. After the underdogs were the story on Thursday, the top seeds in the region took control on Friday. Houston, Marquette, and Duke are all favored to move on to the Sweet 16 but, in March, nothing is certain. Let's take a closer look at these matchups that round out the South Regional: James Madison vs. Duke.
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NCAA Tournament: South Region Sunday Game Previews
12 James Madison vs 4 Duke
They may have a 12-seed next to their name, but James Madison is not your typical Cinderella. The Dukes started the season off with wins over Michigan State, Kent State and Howard who were one foul gaffe away from all three making the tournament. From there James Madison never stopped winning, headed into Sunday's matchup with 32 wins, tied for the most in the country.
Duke took care of Vermont in their First Round matchup. They suffocated the Catamounts on the defensive end and dominated the glass. The offensive performance from the Blue Devils wasn't entirely impressive but Vermont was a worthy defensive foe. Duke was able to pull away by getting to the free throw line time and time again where they only hit 20 out of 29. They'll need a better offensive output if they want to move onto Dallas next weekend.
James Madison has thrived with some defensive three-point luck. Their opponent 3PA rate is a bit better than national average, but the opponent 3P% is second best nationwide. Duke is an excellent three-point shooting team at 37.6%. Additionally they take care of the ball with a turnover rate of 14.4% which is good for 31st in the country. James Madison will find it a difficult task to slow down the Duke offense, but their own offense is more than capable at keeping up. They survived a poor shooting night against Wisconsin but they're typically a solid shooting team. I like their chances to go toe-to-toe with the Blue Devils and expect a fun, high scoring affair.
Pick: Total Over 148.5 (-110)